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WASHINGTON — The Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general said he was “ashamed” by text messages where he compares the Republican former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates Todd Gilbert to Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, saying that he would shoot Gilbert rather than shoot Pot and Hitler.
Condemnation for Jay Jones was bipartisan on Friday as fellow statewide Democratic candidates reacted to the text messages that had been sent to a Republican delegate in 2022.
Abigail Spanberger, the former U.S. representative and Democratic candidate for governor, said Jones should take accountability for what he texted, stopping short of asking the candidate to drop out of the race.
“I spoke frankly with Jay about my disgust with what he had said and texted,” Spanberger said on Friday. “… What I have also made clear is that as a candidate — and as the next governor of our commonwealth, I will always condemn threatening language in our politics.”
Jones had served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for District 89, which covers parts of Norfolk, from January 2018 until January 2022.
The text messages were shared by Del. Carrie Coyner, a Republican from Chesterfield County. Coyner said the conversation happened on Aug. 8, 2022, after Jones had left office as a delegate. As for why they were releasing them publicly now, Coyner’s office said because the National Review, a conservative magazine, had reached out for comment on them.
“Three bullets, two people,” Jones texted Coyner. “Gilbert, Hitler and Pol Pot.” At the time, Gilbert was the speaker of the House of Delegates.
“Gilbert gets two bullets in the head,” Jones continues. “Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets.”
Friday evening, WUSA9 obtained a statement from Jones, who said he had apologized to Gilbert and his family.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and I want to issue my deepest apology to Speaker Gilbert and his family. Reading back those words made me sick to my stomach. I am embarrassed, ashamed, and sorry,” Gilbert wrote. “I have reached out to Speaker Gilbert to apologize directly to him, his wife Jennifer, and their children. I cannot take back what I said; I can only take full accountability and offer my sincere apology. Virginians deserve honest leaders who admit when they are wrong and own up to their mistakes. This was a grave mistake and I will work every day to prove to the people of Virginia that I will fight for them as Attorney General.”
Coyner also said Jones had made threats against Gilbert’s wife and had threatened that at the funeral of his former GOP colleagues he would, “piss on their graves.”
On Friday, Coyner called the text conversation, “disqualifying.”
“Jay Jones wished violence on the children of a colleague and talked about shooting Todd Gilbert,” Coyner said Friday. “It’s disgusting and unbecoming of any public official.”
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, called on Spanberger to resign by association with Jones, claiming both candidates are too divisive.
“We don’t need any more divisiveness in politics. We need leaders who care we need leaders who will bring people together and Abigail Spanberger is not gonna do that so really if she’s asking Jay Jones to resign from nomination, which is what I would say then she should resign as well,” Earle-Sears said Friday night. “She thinks that it is fitting for the nominee on her side of the aisle to say that it’s OK to murder to murder do you know he’s an officer of the court?”
Democratic lieutenant governor candidate and State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi joined the bipartisan chorus condemning Jones for the text messages.
““I have been very clear that political violence has no place in our country, and I condemn it at every turn,” the Democrat from Richmond said. “Jay must take accountability for the pain that his words have caused. We must demand better of our leaders and of each other.”
Jones is slated to face incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares in the November election.